6 Energy Saving Tips for your Home

Saving energy in your home is saving money in your wallet. This is especially true if you have a drafty home: your energy dollars are literally sucked out of your windows. But you can easily reduce your energy bills—and reduce your carbon footprint—by making your home energy-efficient.

Install energy saving windows
Improving insulation and reducing drafts is one of the most efficient ways to save energy in your home. You can loose a lot of heat energy via thermal conductivity. In fact, studies show that you can save up to 40% on energy costs with proper windows! Landmark windows, for instance, help insulate your home, causing heat transfer to be greatly reduced.
If you have single-pane windows, an easy solution is to replace them with energy-efficient double-pane windows.
Draft-proof your home
Having a draft-proof home means the heat in winter, and cool air in summer, will stay where you want it! Caulk and weatherstrip your window frames and door frames, and consider replacing your windows to ensure they no longer leak. Caulk and seal drafts round pipes and ducts, and make sure your dryer vent is properly sealed as well.
Draft-proofing includes using heavy drapes in the winter, which help keep the warmth inside. Door socks, too, keep the cold out.
Turn the thermostat down!
We spend more of our energy budget on heating, especially in our cold Canadian winters. Using a programmable thermostat will help ensure there is no energy wasted. Temperature should be around 18°C at night, and 20°C during the day in winter. Don’t waste energy by heating empty rooms.
Use energy saving appliances
Replacing inefficient appliances with energy-efficient appliances is guaranteed to save you money in the long term. These appliances cost less to use. Some Energy Star appliances, for instance, use 50% less electricity!
Use a toaster oven
If you’re cooking small amounts of food, use a toaster oven instead of your large oven. This uses less energy, and is quicker to come to temperature, and you’ll have a smaller space needing that heat. When stove top cooking, using smaller pans on the smallest rings will use less electricity.
Use cold water in your laundry
There are many special cold-water detergents available, so unless your clothes are very dirty, you will use less energy if you run a cold wash cycle. Can you air-dry your clothes? This is easiest in summer, of course. When you use your dryer, which uses a lot of energy, make it as efficient as possible by ensuring the lint tray or filter is clear.